Pro-Government Militias
Secret Anti-Communist Army (Guatemala)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 297 |
| Country: | Guatemala |
| Date formed: | Aug. 4, 1977 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The group was first mentioned in the New York Times on August 4, 1977. It became widely known during the September 1978 bus fare strikes in Guatemala City (Wikipedia). It emerged in the context of the leftist guerillla movement reconsolidating its forces. |
| Date dissolved: | Jan. 14, 1986 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The group was in favour of and supported by the military governments of Guatemala from 1977 until 14 January 1986, when President Cerezo was inaugurated as President of a new civilian government. It is unclear whether the group was controlled by the state or was independent at the end of military rule. The group reemerged in 1988 and committed its last known attack on 28 December 1989 (Wikipedia). As there is no evidence for government connection with the new government, the group is coded terminated after Jan. 14 1986. |
| Termination Type(s): | change in government |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | unclear | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; state (institution); military (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | yes |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; military |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): | Death squads (El Salvador) |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology; security forces |
| Primary Membership: | noncivilian |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | ideological |
| Location: | None |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; religious group; journalists; peasants; students |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; intimidation of civilians |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The Secret Anti-Communist Army is also known by its Spanish name Ejército Secreto Anticomunista (ESA) (Wikipedia). It was a state-sponsered group operating as death squad. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was used for secret assassinations and evasion of accountability (Wikipedia) for acts against leftist sympathizers during the Guatemalan civil war. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | deniability of violence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group used violence against civilians such as academics (Wikipedia) as well as moderate and leftist politicians, trade unionists, students, teachers, lawyers, journalists and priests. It killed many and made others disappear. Police did not intervene and the Minister of the Interior Donaldo Alvarez Ruiz provided lists of targets (Wikipedia). |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | According to a news source, soldiers participating in the group were partially inspired by government claims of a Cuban-backed Communist conspiracy in Guatemala. |
| PGM Members Killed? | rarely |
PGM Size
| Size: | One hundred members were reported as participating in an attack in 1981. There are no estimates on the overall size of the group. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group used submachine guns (Wikipedia) and was heavily armed during attacks. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The PGM was coordinated and staffed by members of the military and security services. It was allegedly led by Colonel German Chipina Bahona, who was the Director General of the National Police from 1978-1982. Two assailants of the group were found to be linked to the military intelligence and the Special Service of the Treasury Police (Wikipedia). According to a news source, Amnesty International reported in 1981 that the group was under the direct supervision of the President and headquarters annexed to the Presidential Palace. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.